The Force Is Still With Mark Hamill

FLIcK Magazine, March 2005 interview by Lucas Aykroyd The name “Errol Flynn” is inseparable from The Adventures of Robin Hood. The name “Paul McCartney” is inseparable from The Beatles. Similarly, you can’t say “Mark Hamill” without thinking of Star Wars. While the veteran actor gracefully acknowledges his role in this slice of motion picture history, Hamill has also moved forward with a diverse and challenging career since 1983’s Return of the Jedi completed his direct involvement in the saga. He’s found success with voiceovers, Broadway musicals, computer games, and graphic novels. Recently, Hamill wrote, directed and starred in Comic Book: The Movie, which won three DVD Exclusive Awards in February. He attacks each new project with the same vigor he brought to his assault on the Death Star as Luke Skywalker. Along the way, he’s also achieved a balanced and satisfying family life. Prior to the release of Revenge of the Sith, FLIcK caught up with Hamill, 53, by phone from his Malibu residence. FLIcK: What’s your advice to people who are going to see Episode III? Mark Hamill: Just have a good time! That’s what the movies are all about. You don’t give advice to people that respond to a pop culture phenomenon like Star Wars. They’re all pre-programmed to love it on their own. FLIcK: What was it like during the photo shoot for the February 2005 Vanity Fair cover that featured the casts of both Star War trilogies? MH: Well, I don’t know if I’m telling tales out of school here, but because of scheduling, I couldn’t get back to California, and Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher couldn’t get to New York. I went down to Annie Leibovitz’s studio and just shot on an empty set, sitting in front of the chair. So we were digitally reunited! [laughs] It’s not the way it appears in the photograph. FLIcK: In a funny way, that’s similar to how George Lucas likes to approach things these days, digitally superimposing actors. MH: Exactly. I think that’s one of the things he will continue to work on after he’s finished with the new trilogy: improving on digitally created human characters, so that eventually they’ll be indistinguishable from live actors. FLIcK: From watching the new movies, how much has your perspective on the character of Anakin Skywalker changed compared to the Darth Vader you acted alongside? MH: Well, prequels are notoriously difficult,...
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